April 23rd, 2024 – When things change on a dime it can be like whiplash!!!
Current musings:
Right after I sent last week’s email to you, I wasn’t feeling well so I got back in bed…and then it became clear as a bell that I had come down with Covid. AGGHGHHHHGH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
It’s fascinating that you can plan out a full and busy week with things that seem essential, but then when you’re sick, you cancel and slash everything for the next 3 days without even blinking! Of course you’re sad to cancel certain things of course, like the session with your favorite 85-year old client, and the cooking class date your husband had booked months ago…but you do. You cancel and clear your schedule for only resting and healing.
Your to do list can just wait.
Or…does it??
Maybe your to do list simply morphs into what’s most needed. Into the very basic-est of lists. (yes I made that word up)
I encountered something very intriguing when I was down with this case of Covid. Luckily, I was not rolling around fever-dreaming and hacking up left and right, but my body was clear: I needed to lay low. Tuesday and Wednesday were…yeahhhh…low.
“What was so intriguing about that, Ryan?” Well, my energy was mathematically more finite than usual. I needed to be extremely careful where I spent it. The first place? Rest and more rest!
So my “to do” list didn’t sit around and wait, it simply morphed to the moment!
Tuesday and Wednesday’s to do list:
1. Take care of myself and take Paxlovid (that’s the chalkiest, yuckiest stuff ever! Grateful for it, but blechhhh)
2. Make sure I canceled and covered all the things that I’d normally have done, and let go of lots of things!
3. Rest and rest some more!
On Thursday, when I started to see the light of feeling a bit better, this was my short list:
1. SHOWER and put on fresh comfy clothes (funny how when you’re sick, you can simply wear the same pjs for days…)
2. Look at email with only the lightest interest
3. Still rest even though feeling a bit better!
Whenever you’re down sick, it becomes clear that you can’t do as much. The lesson here?
Trust me and get on board with the SHORT to do list, even when you are NOT SICK!
Spoiler: it’s surprisingly hard, because there’s at least 75,000 OTHER THINGS vying for your attention like crickets in the grass…but do not listen to them. Open a GoogleDoc, or get out a good ol’ fashioned pad of paper and leave a pen right there so you can dump out any distracting thoughts.
And then FOCUS on the short list!
“But what goes on that short list, Ryan? How do I know what to put on the short list??” Oh, you know.
You know because it’s the things you usually DON’T WANT to do!! Those things you’ve put off and put off until you CANNOT ignore them any more.
Frogs. Just eat that frog! Have you heard that expression? Eat That Frog by Bryan Tracy celebrates the power of the short list and getting the things done that you usually avoid!
Good news: when you eat that frog, the sense of accomplishment is REAL! You took care of business!! TCB!! Yay you!
Do not resist the short list anymore. Kendra Adachi’s recent podcast may serve you in creating your short list. She uses “have to” and “hope to” to label her to do list items.
Let’s welcome the power of the short “have to” list in our lives!
Current tool:
Google tasks for task capturing! Yes, recently I was so super into the TeuxDeux app, but it failed for me because it’s ANOTHER PLACE to capture things, another place to check, so then I lose track when I capture in too many places! So, I’m dialing into Google Tasks (right now)!!
Keep it simple, sister!! The KISS method is still a goodie.
Current offerings (AKA tools):
*This Friday, April 26th: join us for 3.5 hours of body-doubling accountability so you can blast through those piles of random papers. It’s the last Paper/Binderpalooza of the Spring so get your desk paper cleared before the kids are out for the summer!
*Always free Digital Decluttering Workshops: (Thursdays at noon CST) This week we wrap up our series on task-capturing!!
Currently grateful for:
Netflix and Paxlovid. I am certain that was the magic combo that got me back on my feet and right as rain!
